Falling For You
by Jily.Love
Summary: Lauren Lopez is recovering from a broken heart. But what will happen when Darren shows up at their show in San Francisco? CrissPez. I suck at summaries. Please read and review! Rated T for language, abuse, self harm, and sexual assault.
1. Face to Face

**Hey guys! So this is my first StarKid fic! Please follow/favorite/review! It's SUPER short right now, but I'll be adding more chapters super soon.**

**xx Caroline**

* * *

Lauren Lopez walked into the Nob Hill Masonic Center with red eyes and a big travel mug of coffee. Her face was blotchy and every so often her eyes would fill with tears, which she would quickly blink away. Before walking into the auditorium, she leaned against a wall and tried to collect herself.

_Lauren. Get it together,_ she begged herself. _Come on. Just three hours, and you can go back to the hotel and cry your eyes out. You can do it._ And taking a deep breath, she pushed open the double doors and made her way to the stage.

"HEYYYYYYY! LAUREN!" Jaime called, her face lighting up.

Lauren pasted on a fake smile and walked over to her friend. "Hi!"

Jaime looked at her friend in concern. "Lo, are you okay? Your eyes are REALLY red."

Lauren felt her eyes welling up again, and took a sip of coffee to hide it. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... allergies," she invented wildly.

Jaime nodded sympathetically, accepting this, as Nick called them all up to the stage to rehearse for the show the next night.

* * *

Three hours later, Lauren had successfully made it through the Little White Lie Medley, Going Back to Hogwarts, Granger Danger, and Not Alone without having a breakdown. After what felt like the hundreth time singing Not Alone, they were finally dismissed to go get lunch. Lauren was the first one out the door, slinging her bag over her shoulder and practically sprinting out to the street to hail a cab.

Or at least she tried to hail a cab. Because a hand closed over her upper arm and spun her around.

And who she saw was a guy. A guy with short, curly, dark hair and hazel eyes wearing pink sunglasses on top of his head.

She gasped. Because standing in front of her was one of her best friends. Darren Criss.


	2. Telling Darren

Lauren was speechless. She threw her arms around his neck. A few tears leaked out of her eyes, half sad and half happy, as he spun her around. When he finally put her down, she managed a small smile, but even her joy at seeing Darren couldn't override her sadness now. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Darren couldn't contain his grin. "I had a break from Glee and I was in town visiting people. So I decided to come the show."

_Be happy,_ Lauren told herself. _He's Darren. And he's here. You haven't seen him in forever._ So she tried to be more enthusiastic. "Darren! That's great!"

Even though she was trying to be happy, Darren could tell she was upset. And normally he didn't try to pry into people's lives, but Lauren was one of his best friends, and he hated seeing her like this. He looked into her deep brown eyes. "Lo, what's wrong? And don't even try to tell me that you're fine. I've known you for years, I can tell when you not okay."

Lauren sighed. "It's a long story, Darren. And I'm sure you want to go talk to everybody else inside."

Darren grabbed her hand and pulled her over to a side street, where a shiny blue car was parked. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Lo. I can talk to them tonight. You're upset now. They can wait. Come on." He pulled a key chain out of his pocket, unlocked the passenger side door of the car, and opened it for her. He got into the drivers seat and drove off.

Lauren didn't even bothering protesting, instead just leaning against the cool glass window and letting her tears fall.

Darren looked over at her and saw the tears running down her face. Without a second thought, he reached across the gear shift for her hand and drove one-handed the rest of the way. Every few seconds he would rub his thumb across the top of her hand, and for some reason, it calmed her.  
Seven minutes later, Darren pulled into a parking spot right in front of Golden Gate Park. "Darren?" Lauren was completely confused. Of all the places to go in San Francisco, why did he choose here?

"Just trust me," Darren smiled at her. "You DO, trust me, don't you, Lo?"

Lauren couldn't argue with that. So she nodded and allowed Darren to put an arm around her shoulders and steer her into the park. It was almost completely deserted.

She began to relax into Darren's arm when suddenly he stopped walking in front of a small, artsy-looking black building. She looked up at him. "Coffee shop," he explained, answering her silent question. "Best place in all of San Fran. What do you want? My treat."

"Darren, you don't have to do this," Lauren said, reaching into her bag for a folded five dollar bill.

"I want to," Darren told her, putting his hand on her arm. The look he was giving her, eyes full of concern, just about broke her heart.

"Thank you," she said softly. "Um, hot chocolate please."

Darren let out a chuckle. "That's my favorite. And they make the best here." He ordered the drinks quickly and five minutes later, they were seated on a bench in a little clearing, each with a steaming Styrofoam cup in their hands.

"Lo." Darren broke the silence. "Tell me what's wrong. Please."

_This is Darren,_ Lauren reminded herself. _He's your friend. You can tell him anything._ She shivered as a gust of wind blew at them- it was unseasonably cool for May, even in San Francisco.

"Shit," Darren said. "I forgot you weren't wearing a jacket." And before she could stop him, he was peeling off his Windbreaker and handing it to her.  
Just this simple, sweet gesture made her cry as she zipped the jacket up over her t-shirt. She wiped viciously at her eyes, trying to stop the tears. "It's okay to cry," Darren said in her ear. "Let it all out." And so she did, leaning against his chest and sobbing until she couldn't cry anymore, leaving his pink and black flannel shirt soaked.

"God, Darren, I'm sorry," Lauren said, sniffling.

"Don't be," Darren told her. "And now that you've gotten all of that out, are you ready to tell me what's wrong?"

Lauren took a deep breath. "Okay. So you know how I've been going out with Mark?"

Of course Darren knew. Lauren had met Mark in Chicago and they had started dating almost instantly. He couldn't count all the times that Lauren had brought Mark to StarKid parties and then spent all night making out with him. He saw the way Mark treated Lauren. She was just an object to him. The guy was an asshole.

"Did you guys break up or something? What happened? Lo, if he did something to hurt you, I swear to God I'll kill him."

Lauren looked shocked at his words and Darren mentally slapped himself. It was obvious Lauren was in love with Mark. _Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ Darren thought. _Now she won't tell you anything, you dumbass._

"We're still together. Technically." Lauren's voice shook. "But.. we had a fight."

Darren raised his eyebrows. This was new. Lauren and Mark had never had a fight, because Lauren basically did whatever Mark wanted. "Lo, just tell me what happened. You know you can tell me anything."

"So he flew in last night to see the show and spend time with me, since we didn't get to hang out when we were touring in Chicago," Lauren began. "And so his flight got in, and we went out to dinner together. And when we got back to the hotel room, he was trying to.. ya know.. and I wouldn't let him."

Darren's eyes widened. "Did he...?"

"No. He didn't rape me." Lauren said. "But.. he tried."

Darren gasped. "Oh my God. Lo.. I'm so sorry. Nobody should have to go through that." Another thought floated into his head. "Has he ever tried to do that before?"

Lauren was crying again. "Not exactly. But he's been pressuring me for a really long time. And when I say no.. Well, he gets really mad. And.." she shrugged off the jacket Darren gave her and pulled up the left sleeve of her t-shirt. And there on her shoulder was a purple, fist-sized bruise, outlined on the top by four fingernail-shaped crescents, each scabbed over with dried blood. Then she reached down and lifted up the hem of her shirt to reveal an even bigger bruise on her right hip.

Darren couldn't speak. He couldn't breathe. His stomach hurt and his mouth was dry. "Darren.. please don't think I'm a freak," Lauren whispered. "But there's one more thing I need to show you." She lifted up the hem of her shirt once more, this time exposing all of her perfectly flat, pale stomach. Crisscrossing her skin were thin, perfectly straight scars.

"Did Mark do that, too?" Darren asked, but in his sinking heart he already knew her answer.

"No, I did," Lauren said, in three words confirming Darren's fears.

Darren was crying softly now. How many times had he seen Lauren, and thought she was perfectly fine? How could he have missed this? Through his tears, he managed to speak. "When did this start? Why? Oh my God."

Lauren wiped her eyes. "It was about a month after we started going out. He was trying to convince me to sleep with him, and I said no. And he.. he hit me and called me a... a.. w-worthless, ugly bitch. And I felt just like that- worthless and ugly. And so I went home and did this." She pointed to the most faded scar.

"Lauren." Darren knelt on the cold, hard ground. "Listen to me." He took her hands. "You're not worthless. You're such an amazing girl, and Mark doesn't deserve you. You're so incredibly beautiful, and so funny and talented. I love you so much, Lauren. You can't do this to yourself. You just can't. I don't know what I would do without you. I can't even picture life without you. You're one of my best friends. Please, PLEASE stop." He broke down, sobbing. Lauren was crying too, and for a while they just sat together, sobbing with their arms around each other.

Then Lauren pulled away, and they looked at each other. Then Darren leaned in, and planted a soft, sweet kiss on Lauren's lips. She froze for a second, then kissed back, running her fingers through his hair.

They had kissed before. But those were just stage kisse. This was different, as if Darren had taken all of his love and care and transferred it into a single action.

They kissed until Lauren's head was spinning and her lips were numb, their cups of hot chocolate forgotten on the bench.

"Lo," Darren finally broke off the kiss. "I love you. I've always loved you."

Lauren was about to answer, but the rustling of leaves stopped her.

"You SLUT." Mark stepped out of the trees, his dark eyes shooting beams of hate at both of them.

* * *

**So what do you guys think? Anything you want to see happen in later chapters? Drop me a review and let me know!**

**xx Caroline**


	3. The Fight

**Chapter 3 is here! Thank you to all my lovely reviewers: Beffax3, tazandup, iwanttobeamoderndancer, drarrylicious, and TearsOfaClown. You all made my day about 100000000x better. And thank you to all the followers/ favoriters as well(:**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter(:**

**xx Caroline**

* * *

Lauren jumped about a foot in the air. "Mark, what are you doing here?"

Mark laughed humorlessly. "The real question is, what are you doing here? Making out with another guy?"

"I-I can explain," Lauren stuttered.

"Oh, I'd _love_ that." Mark's words dripped sarcasm.

"Lauren told me what you did," Darren said, standing up.

"Yeah? What did I do, pretty boy?"

"Oh, I think you know exactly what you did. But in case you're too stupid to remember, let me summarize. One: You tried to rape Lauren."

Mark snickered. "Oh, please. You have-"

"TWO," Darren said loudly over Mark, "You abuse her. And we have proof of that."

Lauren was visibly trembling now, wrapping her arms around herself.

"And three," Darren concluded, "You damaged her self esteem so badly that it caused her to self-harm."

Before Darren knew what was happening, Mark was shoving him out of the way and walking over to Lauren. He grabbed her collar and forced her up. "You little bitch," he hissed. "How _dare_ you make up lies about me like that?"

"T-they're n-n-not l-lies," Lauren's voice shook with fear.

"You damn well know they're lies!" But his innocent act quickly faded as he raised his hand and slapped her straight across the face, as hard as he could.

It was such a hard slap, Lauren's head snapped against her shoulder. Then Mark grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her across the concrete walkway, making her lose her balance and crash straight into a tree, which knocked the wind out of her.

She sat there at the base of the tree, struggling for air. Darren had had enough. In three big steps he was standing in front of Mark. He didn't care that Mark towered over him. He just wanted to make this guy hurt as much as Lauren was hurting. So he punched Mark as hard as he could straight in the nose. And then in the stomach. Repeatedly.

Mark cursed and swung at Darren, who ducked. Lauren let out a horrible gasp. "STOP IT! Both of you!"

But her words were completely ignored. And for the billionth time that day, she felt tears come to her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Darren hissed. "Haven't you done enough?"

"Well, dipshit, I happen to be her boyfriend. And I went to pick my girlfriend up, when, surprise surprise, she was getting into a car with another guy. So, naturally, I followed the car. And looky here! She's sucking face with Darren freaking Criss!"

Darren was angrier than he had ever been. He felt the rage bubbling in the pit of his stomach. His fist connected with the side of Mark's head. Mark's eyes became unfocused. He swayed in place for a second before slumping to the ground, unconscious.

"Oh my God. Is he dead?" Lauren asked timidly.

"I wish," Darren shot a dirty look at the figure on the ground. He knelt down next to Mark, fingers probing his wrist, searching for a pulse. "No, just knocked out."

"What are we supposed to do? Just leave him here?" Lauren's voice bordered on hysteria.

"Yes." Darren said firmly. He reached for Lauren's hand and helped her up, but her legs were shaking so hard she could barely stand. So he scooped her up and carried her over to the bench where they had been sitting. He ran his fingers over her cheek, where a bruise was already starting to form. "Damn, Lo, that looks like it hurts."

"It does," she admitted. "But not as much as my back." She lifted up the back of her shirt, revealing the bloody scrapes from the rough tree bark.

"We've gotta get that wrapped up," Darren said, his counselor instincts kicking in. "Do you think you can walk now?"

Lauren nodded, and Darren laced his fingers with hers. They quickly walked back to the car. The world looked remarkably unchanged from twenty minutes before, but for Lauren, everything was different.

Ten minutes later, Darren pulled the car into the parking lot of a small, dingy looking motel. He led Lauren to a door emblazoned with the numbers "122" and unlocked the door with a green plastic key card. "Home sweet home," he proclaimed, pushing the heavy wooden door open. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll run to the main office and see if they have a first aid kit." He kissed Lauren's forehead. "I'll be right back."

The room was plain, with simple forest green carpeting and a small bed with a dark gray bedspread. Darren could stay literally anywhere in the entire city, but he still chose to stay at a tiny motel. It was just more his style than something big and fancy. And for whatever reason, it made Lauren love him even more.

Darren opened the door holding a little white box and a small baggie filled with crushed ice. "Put this on your face. And lay on the bed, okay? On your stomach."

Lauren gingerly lowered herself onto the bed and pulled the back of her shirt up, letting Darren smooth medicine over the scrapes and bandage them. Darren's fingers felt so good against her sore back. "Okay," Darren said after what felt like an amazing eternity. "You're all good."

"Yay," Lauren allowed herself a small smile. "Thanks so much, Darren."

"Anything for you, Lo," Darren brushed his fingers across the scars on her stomach. "I seriously can't believe all this is real."

"I know," Lauren sighed. "But it's my crazy, insane, fucked up life."

Darren's fingers paused over one particularly painful-looking scar. "What happened here? It's not like the other ones."

"Oh. That." Lauren rolled over so that she was facing Darren. "Well.."

"Lo. Haven't we established that you can tell me anything?" Darren squeezed her hand.

"I know we have! I'm just not used to talking to people about this," Lauren made excuse. "But that one is from January. That was the first night Mark ever told me to kill myself."

Darren's eyes widened as Lauren continued. "Normally I had just used a razor to make the cuts, but that night I went home and used a knife. I cut too deep, and I passed out. I don't know how long I was out, but when I woke up I was in the middle of a puddle of blood. So I cleaned it up and went about life as normal. That's all there is to it, I guess."

"God, Lo. I can't believe he said that to you. That's just horrible. I-I'm so glad you didn't listen to him. I can't imagine life without you."

Lauren snuggled into Darren, resting her head on his chest. "Sometimes I would be at the end of my rope and just want to kill myself, but then I would think about you. I would never do that to you. And if I killed myself, I couldn't do this." She leaned up and kissed him, feeling electricity course throughout her body.

Darren kissed her back. "I've wanted to do that ever since we kissed for Little White Lie," he smiled.

"Really? For that long?" Lauren's heart fluttered.

Darren nodded and tucked a strand of Lauren's hair behind her ear. "Yeah. I can't believe it's been over three years since then. Kinda crazy, really."  
"I know," Lauren agreed. "So much has changed since then."

They were quiet for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts. Soon Lauren's eyelids began drooping. She yawned and pressed her back into Darren's chest, absorbing his body heat. She couldn't even summon the energy to say something before she fell fast asleep.

* * *

_Mark was walking toward her, eyes glinting. "God, Lauren. It's no big deal. We'll use protection." _

_Lauren shook her head. "No, Mark. I've told you before, and I'll tell you again. I'm not going to have sex with you. I'm waiting until I'm married, okay?" She tried to walk into the bathroom of her hotel room, but Mark grabbed her arm._

_"I'm sick and tired of all your shit, Lauren. Stop being such a prude. No one waits these days."_

_"Let me go," Lauren said angrily, trying to pull away. "Now!" But Mark ignore her pleas and instead pushed her onto the bed roughly. He dug his fingernails into her arm._

_"I'm giving you one last chance, Lauren. We can either do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way."_

_Lauren squirmed under his grasp. "Mark. Don't do this."_

_Mark kept a tight grip on her waist and began undoing the button on her jeans. "Fine. Hard way it is, then."_

_Lauren summoned every ounce of strength she could and screamed. "LET. ME. GO. NOW. SOMEONE HELP! HELP!" She flailed her legs desperately._

_She couldn't believe what was happening. Why did she let this happen? Why didn't she see where their relationship was going? Tears ran down her cheeks._  
_"STOP IT! STOP IT!"_

* * *

"Lo! Wake up! It's just a dream, Lo. Wake up!" Darren was shaking her.

Lauren sat straight up, blinking away the tears. "Oh my God."

"Mark?" Darren asked. Lauren nodded, trembling.

"Shhhhh," Darren soothed, rubbing her back. "It's all right. It's all right now."

Slowly, Lauren laid back down, but her heart was pounding. Darren reached over for his guitar. He strummed a few notes and began singing.

* * *

_You don't know what you're hiding from_

_How did life become such a sad song_

_You don't know what you're fighting for_

_What you came here for, feeling all alone_

_You have loved_

_You have los__t_

_How could this be happening_

_All alone_

_On your own_

_But you shouldn't give up._

_No you shouldn't do that_

_Never ever give up_

_No don't ever do that_

* * *

Darren kissed the top of her head. "I love you so much, Lo."

"I love you too, Darren," Lauren murmured. Darren wrapped his arms around her waist, and they fell asleep together.

* * *

**What do you think? Anything else you want to see happen in future chapters? Drop me a review and let me know!**

**And on another note, StarKid is doing this sketch comedy thing in Chicago and I got tickets this morning! *Cue the fangirling* AHHHHH!**

**Anyhoo. I hope you liked it! Have a totally awesome day!**


	4. The Perfect Night

**It's finally here! Sorry I couldn't update sooner. Writer's block is a scary thing. Thank you to all my reviewers and followers/favoriters.** **You guys make my day!**

**And a quick note to my lovely TearsOfaClown: That song in the last chapter was actually in AVPSY. It's one of my favorites! And it just worked so well that I couldn't resist putting it in.**

**Hope you like it! Hugs!**

* * *

Lauren woke up the next morning feeling safer than she had felt since she had started dating Mark. Darren's arms were still around her waist, and her head rested on his chest. She sat up. Darren stirred next to her, blinking sleepily. He was ridiculously adorable.

"'Morning, beautiful," Darren pulled her down for a kiss.

Lauren smiled. "'Morning, Dare." She reached for her purse and extracted her phone. "Shit!"

"What?" Darren asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I have to be at the auditorium for rehearsal in half an hour," Lauren groaned.

"No worries!" Darren jumped up. He began rummaging through his suitcase, pulling out a pair of gray sweatpants and a purple tee. "Go shower and change into these. I'll run out and grab breakfast. I'll be back in fifteen to give you a ride, okay?"

"God, thanks, Darren. You're a lifesaver."

Darren grinned. "Anything for you, Lo." He grabbed his keys and kissed her quickly. Then he was out the door.

Lauren quickly showered and changed. Darren's clothes were huge on her, but she didn't care. They smelled like Darren, an almost intoxicating scent of aftershave and mint.

Darren was back in fifteen minutes, as promised. He handed Lauren a big cup of coffee and a scone. "It's gluten free," he said. "Just for you."

Lauren was so touched by his consideration that she flung her arms around his neck. "You're amazing," she said into his shoulder.

"Not as amazing as you," Darren replied. "C'mon, you have a rehearsal to get to!"

Soon Darren's car was careening into the back parking lot. "Seven minutes early!" Darren crowed triumphantly.

"Which means we have seven minutes to do hang out," Lauren smiled at him. "And by 'hang out', I mean kiss." She leaned over and did just that, letting her hands rest on his chest.

Darren ripped off his seat belt and pressed the button to release her's as well. Soon they were kissing passionately. Darren's hands caressed her face and and hair.

Suddenly, they heard a sharp knock on the window of the car. "Oh, shit," Lauren mumbled against Darren's mouth. They untangled themselves to see Jaime standing next to to the passenger side door, mouth wide open. Joey was next to her, smirking.

Lauren faced Darren. "How the hell are we gonna get out of this?" she asked, barely moving her mouth.

Joey banged on the window. "There is literally NOTHING you two can say to save your asses. Just get out of the car already," he said loudly through the glass.

Lauren couldn't help but giggle as she swung open her door. "Soooooooooo," Jaime said, drawing out the word. "How long has this been going on?"

"Um," Lauren felt herself blush. "Since yesterday?"

Joey burst into laughter. "Shit," he cackled. "That's too good!"

Darren slugged him, then looped an arm around Lauren's waist. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's get inside. I have missed all of you WAY too much."

So they began walking through the parking lot, joking and laughing. Lauren was happier than she had been in a long time. But as soon as they got into the auditorium, they were met with complete chaos.

Nick Lang ran up to the group. "Hey! Darren!" Barely taking time to acknowledge Darren's presence, he turned to Lauren. "Lauren! Where the hell were you yesterday afternoon?" He didn't even give her time to answer. "Never mind. We don't have time for chitchat!"

"Nick. Breathe," Jaime encouraged. "Why are you freaking out?"

"Walker came down with the flu," Nick panicked, ignoring Jaime's advice. "He's out for tonight, can't take a sip of water without retching."

Joey cursed. "Shit. Who's gonna take his place?"

"I don't know!" Nick was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Nick. Dude. Chill." Darren was completely calm and collected. "I can do it."

"Are you serious? Do you know the words to all of his songs?"

"Dude, I wrote most of his songs. And I've heard most of the others enough that I could sing them in my sleep. No worries."

"Well in that case.." Nick gulped down some water. "ON THE STAGE! EVERYBODY. GO GO GO! We have exactly ten hours before the show, and we need to rehearse everything with Darren! Let's go!"

Darren launched himself into the rehearsal, giving it his all. He quickly learned the blocking and barely messed up at all on the songs. Still, Nick was uneasy. "I feel like we're gonna screw up or something," he complained to Lauren during the thirty minute lunch break. "Darren is a musical genius, but even he makes mistakes."

"It's gonna be fine, Nick. I swear. We'll do great," Lauren assured him.

"Yeah.. I know," Nick tried to convince himself.

They ran through the show once. Corrected all the mistakes. Ran through it again. And then.. It was showtime.

Everyone except Darren ran out onstage to sing Ready To Go. "Hey Dick, does my hair look all right?" Joey asked.

That was Darren's cue. He ran out. "Hell yeah, buddy, you're a sight to see!" The crowd roared when they saw him.

Darren's heart soared as he looked out across the audience. All these people.. all here because of a little musical they had put together in college.

As they worked their way through the show, Darren couldn't keep his eyes off Lauren. Her face was slightly flushed and little strands of hair were coming out of her ponytail. She was so calm and confident onstage, like it was the place where she really belonged.

Before he knew it, it was time for the last song. He and Lauren started on opposite sides of the stage, and slowly made their way to the middle. Sparks flew as they faced each other, each singing their hearts out.

_"We gotta get up, _

_gotta get back_

_get back_

_get back_

_Get back, I'm gonna get_

_Get back up!"_

"Good night, San Francisco!" Lauren called. "We love you all! Thanks for coming out!"

The stage went dark as the crowd jumped to their feet, giving them a standing ovation.

* * *

The second the lights went out, Darren grabbed Lauren's arm. "I'm taking you somewhere," he whispered into her ear. "Get changed and meet me at the back door in ten." He planted a kiss on her forehead. "See ya soon!"

Lauren quickly walked back into the dressing room, wondering where Darren could possibly be taking her this late at night. But she changed back into Darren's sweatpants and tee anyway and spritzed herself with some of Jaime's perfume.

Saying her goodbyes to her friends, she quickly walked towards the back door. Darren was waiting with a smile. He leaned down to give her a sweet kiss on the lips. "You ready?" he asked.

Lauren squeezed his hand. "Let's go."

Darren drove for a few minutes before pulling into the parking lot of a 24 hour convenience store. "Pick whatever snacks you want, Lo."

So they split up, Darren dashing immediately over to the candy isle to grab a giant pack of gummy bears, a bag of potato chips, and a big bag of Hershey's chocolate.

Lauren grabbed a pack of sunflower seeds and a box of saltines and after a moment of consideration, a bag of veggie straws.

"Lo!" Darren called. "Want anything to drink?" He extracted a bottle of guava juice for himself.

"Orange juice, please," she replied. "Thanks!"

"Let's roll!" He bounded up to the cash register to pay, snatching Lauren's stuff from her hands.

"Darren, let me give you money," Lauren reached for he purse.

"Lo. Stop it. My treat, all right?" Darren smiled. "No biggie."

"But-"

"No buts!" Darren admonished. He handed the cashier a twenty dollar bill, called "Keep the change!" and dashed out to the car holding a bag in each hand. Lauren ran after him, laughing.

Darren steered the car onto a nearly deserted highway. In the distance, they could just barely see the Golden Gate Bridge. Soon they were standing on an empty beach. Darren carried the bags of food and Lauren was holding a pile of soft fleece blankets.

"Welcome to Ocean Beach, Lo," Darren said, running a hand through his hair. "It was my favorite place to go when I was a kid." He had a wistful look in his eyes.

"You must miss it a lot," Lauren said, resting her cheek against his shoulder. "It's beautiful."

Darren cleared his throat. "Yeah. I do miss it." He kicked off his shoes. "Let's go!"

Lauren rolled up the bottoms of her sweatpants and waded into the cold water. She shrieked as Darren grabbed her from behind and threw her over his shoulder. "Darren! Let me go! I swear, if you drop me..."

Darren began laughing. It was the kind of laugh that made you want to laugh, too. And so she did, laughing until her ribs ached and happy tears fell from her eyes. Finally Darren set Lauren down and kissed her, a long, slow kiss that made her feel giddy. She tilted her head up and looked into his eyes. "I can't think of any other guy who would take me to the beach for a midnight picnic. I love you so much, Darren." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him again.

And then a big wave hit them, sending them both crashing into the water. Which of course made them both start laughing again.

When they both managed to stand up, Darren spread one of the fleece blankets on the ground and pulled Lauren down onto it, putting another blanket on top of them. They ate as much food as they could hold and then laid down next to each other to watch the stars.

Darren pointed up at the sky. "Look, a shooting star!"

"I wish.." They said at the same time.

"You go first," Darren played with a clump of her hair.

"I wish that every night we spend together will be as magical as tonight is," Lauren said.

"I wish that too," Darren smiled.

He was with the girl he had been in love with for years. They were at his favorite place in the whole world. He couldn't picture anything better.

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed it! And now it's time to put on your thinking caps, because I'm completely at a loss on what to write next. So drop me a review to let me know what you want to see in the next chapter!**


	5. Going Out with Mark

**WARNING. This chapter has some sensitive content. Read with caution.**

* * *

It was the end of June, and the tour was over. Lauren was back in Chicago, coaching, and Darren was in LA shooting for Glee.

Lauren yawned as she sat up in bed. Her phone beeped.

* * *

_Good morning, gorgeous,_ Darren's text read.

**Good morning :)** Lauren replied. **Watcha doin today?**

_Shooting :D_

**Lucky!**

_I guess.. I'd rather be with you. What are you doing?_

**Helping Julia clean the apartment, probably.**

_Ugh. Video chat tonight?_

**Yes please! 9?**

_Okay! gotta go, love you Lo._

**Love you too, Dare.**

* * *

Lauren sighed as she put her phone back on the bedside table. She understood that Darren was super busy at Glee, but she missed talking to him. Even when they did text each other, it was always a quick exchange before Darren had to run off somewhere. She loved him, of course she did. But she felt neglected and lonely.

Which was probably why she answered the phone after looking at the caller ID when it rang a minute later.

"Mark?"

"Hey, Lo." Mark sounded nervous.

"Um.. Hi. What's up?" Lauren couldn't begin to fathom why he would be calling her.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened in San Francisco," Mark said. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Lo. I was a dick. I shouldn't have treated you like that. I guess.. I didn't realize what I had until it was gone."

"Okay.." Lauren trailed off, not sure if she should accept his apology or not.

"Let me make it up to you. I'll take you out for dinner tonight," Mark prodded. "Or whatever you want."

_You can't go on a date with Mark,_ Lauren told herself. _You're with Darren now._ She opened her mouth to make an excuse.

"Not as a date," he said, as if reading her mind. "Just to talk stuff over. As friends."

"Well in that case.. Sure," Lauren agreed. "Thanks, Mark."

"So.. Pick you up around 6:30?" Mark asked.

"Great. See you then!" Lauren hung up and gave herself a moment to process what had just happened.

_Nothing is going to happen, she told herself. You're going out in a public place. He wouldn't try anything._

Having reassured herself, she got out of bed and started her day.

* * *

After stressing out all day and almost cancelling on Mark twice, Lauren was finally ready and waiting outside her apartment building, dressed in jeans and a flowing purple tank top with her hair straightened.

She felt her heart leap as Mark pulled up in his small silver car. His dark hair was combed back and he was wearing a brown button-down. _Goddammit, why was he so irresistible?_

"Lo! Great to see you," he called through the open window. "Come on in, there's this great new bar in The Loop that you'll love."

Lauren gave him a small smile. "Sounds nice," she lied. She couldn't stand bars, but how could Mark know that? Every time they had gone to one, she had pretended to have fun, but secretly wished they could just go for pizza instead.

They made small talk as they walked into the uncrowded bar and got a table. Lauren was reminded of why she fell in love with him as they talked and laughed their way through dinner.

"So," Mark began as he downed the last of his second beer. "You probably hate me, with what happened in San Francisco and all."

"I don't hate you, Mark," Lauren said quietly. If she was being completely honest with herself, she was still a little in love with him, even after what he had tried to do. It was like denial. The Mark that hit her and screamed at her couldn't be this sweet guy sitting in front of her.

"You don't?" Mark's warm, chocolate-colored eyes widened.

Lauren shook her head. "I don't think I could ever really hate you, Mark," she said softly. She caught sight of her watch. "Oh, shit!"

"What's wrong?" Mark asked.

"I was supposed to video chat Dar- I mean, a friend, at nine. And it's already 9:10," she sighed. "I'll just send him a text and let him know that I can't do it tonight." She fished her phone out of her purse.

**Something came up, Dare. Sorry :( Tomorrow? xoxo, Lo.**

She felt slightly guilty about blowing off Darren for Mark, when he had been so sweet to her. _These things happen,_ she tried to convince herself. _No biggie._

The bar was becoming more crowded by the minute. Soon the music was pounding, and Lauren couldn't help but move her shoulders to the beat.

"Come on, let's dance!" Mark exclaimed, grabbing her hand. "I know you want to, Lo," he said when she hesitated.

"Oh, all right," Lauren gave in. Why not?

She allowed Mark to lead her to the dance floor, twirling under his arm. She had to admit, Mark was a good dancer.

They danced for an hour. Finally Lauren pulled Mark off to the side. "I'm thirsty!" she yelled over the music.

"Me too!" Mark called. He tugged her over to the bar. "One beer," he ordered. "And a vodka lemonade for the lady."

"Mark," Lauren tried to protest. "I don't want to get drunk."

"Lo, it won't kill you. It's fine. You're at a bar, for godsakes."

"Oh all right," she sighed. Clutching their drinks, the two sat at the bar to re-hydrate. Lauren didn't really want to drink the vodka, but what choice did she have? She was thirsty, and besides, what harm could it do?

Soon they were back on the dance floor. Lauren felt considerable lighter after finishing her drink. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this alive._ You're 26, Lauren._ _You should really do this more often._

Mark grabbed her arm as the DJ started playing 'Brown Eyed Girl' by Van Morrison.

_"With you, my brown eyed girl_  
_You my brown eyed girl_  
_Do you remember when_  
_We used to sing?_  
_Sha la la, la la, la la, la la, l-la te da_  
_Just like that_  
_Sha la la, la la, la la, la la, l-la te da_  
_La te da"_

Lauren giggled as Mark sang along with the song. As the song ended, Mark leaned down and kissed Lauren quickly on the lips.

She froze for a second. _Holy, holy shit._

Maybe it was because of the alcohol, or maybe because she hadn't seen Darren in ages and she was lonely, but either way, Lauren let her hands rest on Mark's chest and tilted her head up to kiss him. It was a long, sweet kiss that made Lauren's head spin.

She broke the kiss and smiled up at him. "Wow."

"My feelings exactly," Mark laughed. He set his hands on her waist. "God, Lo, I've missed you so much."

"And I've missed you." she replied. She glanced at her watch again and winced. "But it's already almost midnight. I have to get back."

"No problem, babe," Mark grinned. He pointed at a side door. "You go get your bag, and I'll meet you at that door, okay? It'll be faster to get to the car that way."

"All right," Lauren agreed. She pushed her way through the dancing people and picked up her bag, then made her way back to the door. She sighed contentedly as she pushed it open. It had been a good night.

As she stepped outside, she only had a moment to realize she was in an alleyway before a pair of rough hands slammed her against the hard brick wall. A second after that something was plastered across her mouth. _Duct tape?_

"Hey there, _babe_." Mark smirked as he held her against the wall. "I'm sure this must come as such a huge surprise after we've just had our little 'kiss and make up' scene, so let me enlighten you." Lauren struggled against his hands, and he gripped her arms tighter, digging his fingernails into her skin.

"Remember when we were in San Francisco and you thought it would be such a good idea to make out with Darren fucking Criss? Well, here's your payback, you worthless bitch. This is why it's not such a good idea to mess with me." He raised a hand and slapped her as hard as he could.

Lauren couldn't help crying out in pain as Mark continued to slap and punch her. With every blow, he yelled a word at her.

"WORTHLESS"-_slap_- "LITTLE"-_punch_- "BITCH"-_kick_- "GO"-_slap_- "DIE." He grabbed her and shoved her across the narrow alley, her face scraping the opposite wall. Quickly, before she could run, he crossed over to her and held her against that wall.

"How does that feel, Lauren?" he whispered, his breath against her neck, making her shudder. "This is what happens to dirty, cheating sluts."

He threw her on the ground and pressed himself on top of her. She couldn't move or scream as he undid the button on her jeans, then the button on his.

Lauren screamed with her mouth closed, a garbled, terrifying sound as the pain washed over her. Tears gushed down her face. Mark held eye contact with her for the entire time. The eyes that had seemed warm and inviting earlier that night were now cold, dark pits.

After what felt like a horrible eternity, Mark leaned over to hiss into Lauren's ear, "Mmmm, payback IS sweet. Have a lovely night, _babe_."

He quickly ran off down the alley. Lauren heard a car start, then the squeal of wheels as he drove off. For a long time, Lauren lay there, face up, trying to find the strength to move.

It was two in the morning when she finally finished walking the 15 blocks home. The first thing she did when she got home was reach for her razor and make a fresh cut on her stomach.

Without changing her clothes, she slumped into bed and cried until dawn.

* * *

**PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. I'm sorry, I had to make that happen to Lauren! It's all gonna work out eventually, I promise. Also, I'm sorry I haven't been updating! I've been trying to figure this chapter out for weeks. I go back to school on Monday, so I'll try to post another chapter before then. And after that I'll probably be updating on weekends.**

**Funny story about my ship-**

**So when I first started liking Starkid fanfics, I totally shipped RichPez (Lauren/ Joey). And then I switched to CrissPez. And now I kinda ship Breredith. So I admit, I've been cheating on this fic with Breredith. I've also been working on a few more CrissPez fics as well, mostly oneshots. So if I ever finish, check them out!**

**Also, in response to a guest review I got, the tour that was being mentioned was Apocalyptour. So this chapter takes place after Apocalyptour and before AVPSY.**

**Thank you all SO. MUCH. for your support of this story. You all are the best and I love you so much! Don't forget to follow/ review/ favorite!**

**xx Caroline**


	6. Recovery and Relapse

**WARNING! CHAPTER RATED M FOR SOME DISTURBING CONTENT.**

* * *

**First off, let me start by saying that I'm sorry about all the different scenes floating around in this chapter. I really should have cut this chapter into two different chapters, but I wanted to give you all an extra long one so that I don't feel guilty about not updating(:**

**AND NOW...**

**I made it through the first week of school! YAYYYY! In other news: I've decided to update every weekend (schedule allowing.) And I've also decided to write a prequel when this is over (again, schedule allowing!)****  
**

**Again, thank you SO MUCH to everybody who has supported this story in any way. You all mean so much to me and the fact that anyone would want to read something that I've written is mind boggling. So thank you bunches!**

**Hope you enjoy (And don't want to kill me after you read.)**

**xx Caroline**

**P.S. I got a tumblr! So if you want to follow me, I'm at justaharrypotterfangirl dot tumblr dot com. I post Harry Potter/ Starkid stuff(:**

* * *

Lauren had become a shell of her former self. She didn't make her silly little jokes anymore. Whenever she was invited to go somewhere with her friends, she quickly made an excuse. She went to work and then went straight home, only spoke when she was spoken to, and most of the time, stayed curled on her bed, staring blankly at the TV. The only thing she did with regularity was cut herself. Her stomach was a checkerboard of scars. She added at least one new cut every day.

She had stopped answering Darren's texts altogether. The first few mornings, he had thought she was just busy. Then he began to suspect something was wrong.

**Lauren**, he typed one morning as the makeup artist brushed powder onto his cheeks, **please answer me. What's wrong?**

**Lo, please answer. Was it something I did? I'm starting to worry.**

**LoLo, it's been a week since the last time we talked. Are you all right?**

**Lauren, PLEASE ANSWER. I'm really scared.**

**Lo, I don't care if you hate me. I just need to know that you're OK.**

**I love you so much, Lo. Please answer.**

**LO! Please answer! I'm terrified that something happened to you.**

Darren knew he was being irrational. She could have just lost her phone. But he knew her. He knew she had been depressed in San Francisco, no matter how hard she had tried to hide it. He knew that she was broken.

Lauren read all the messages. She could sense Darren's urgency and she knew he was just worried about her, but she couldn't stand to talk to him.

**Lo. I'm dead serious. If you don't answer this I'm going to the police. Please answer. I love you.**

Lauren didn't want to get the police involved. She didn't want anyone prying into her life. So she took a deep breath and pushed number one on her speed dial. Darren picked up on the first ring.

"Lo? Oh my God. I thought you were dead." He choked back a sob.

Trying to act like everything was normal, Lauren gave a little giggle. It sounded weird in her throat. "No, I'm fine! I just lost my phone, that's all," she invented. "I'm so sorry I made you worry!"

"It's fine, Lo. I just freaked out. So you're all right?"

_No, I'm not,_ Lauren wanted to say. _I'm scared and I don't know what to do, and I'm not sure I even want to live anymore. I just want to go back to that day and change everything._

But of course, what she said was, "I'm fine!"

"Thank God," Darren said. "I've gotta run, I love you, okay?"

"Love you too!" Lauren chirped. "Bye!"

When she hung up the phone, a new wave of sadness hit her. She really did miss Darren. So, as she always did when she was upset, she reached for the razor she had come to keep right next to her bed, within arm's reach.

* * *

The next morning she woke to someone moving around her room. A bright light hit her face. Squinting, Lauren sat up. "Julia, what the hell are you doing?"

"Lo, we need to talk." Julia's face was serious. "For the last three weeks, you've been spending more time in this room than you have anywhere else. You're not being yourself. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Lauren stated flatly.

"Bullshit," Julia snapped, sitting on the edge of Lauren's bed. "Lo, we've been best friends since college. I know when you're upset."

"I'm telling you, I'm fine!" Lauren lied.

"Lo, please." The look on Julia's face was heartbreaking. "Whatever it is, I'll help. Because, friends don't let friends go through things alone."

Lauren felt herself begin to tear up. Even though she had sworn she wouldn't tell anyone, she could feel herself beginning to weaken.

"Lauren, I'm begging you. I'm not going to judge you. I just can't stand seeing you like this."

"You have to swear not to tell anyone," Lauren found herself saying. _Holy shit, am I actually doing this?_

"I swear." Julia crossed her heart for good measure.

"It all started when I started dating Mark.."

* * *

After an hour and half a box of tissues, Lauren had recounted the entire tale. By the time she finished, both girls were crying.

"Lo, I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine what that was like. Why didn't you tell anyone when he started hurting you?"

"Because he told me he would hurt my friends, my family. Anyone I cared about. And I thought, well, I'm protecting them. I love you guys too much to lose you."

"Oh, Lo!" Fresh tears began to stream down Julia's face. "And I.. I've been living with you the entire time! How did I not notice?"

"Julia." Lauren placed her hands on her best friend's shoulders. "I don't blame you for anything. It's not your fault."

Julia wiped a stray tear off her cheek. "I just can't believe this is all happening," she murmured. "God, it feels like just yesterday we were sharing a dorm. Just stupid kids messing around in college. And now.. this. Jesus, we've grown up so much."

"Sometimes I still feel like a kid," Lauren confessed. "Like I'm still waiting for my life to really start. And it feels like this-" she lifted the hem of her shirt and brushed her fingers over the scars- "This is just a stage that I'll outgrow, and things will get better. And then I remember that I'm an adult and I'm supposed to handle this, but I can't."

"You do have to handle it," Julia told her. "But not alone. I'm here for you, the whole Team is here for you.. _Baby you're not alone! 'Cause you're here with me! And nothing's ever gonna take us down. 'Cause nothing can keep me from loving you! And you know it's true! It don't matter what'll come to be, our love is all we need to make it through."_ She sang loudly, and Lauren burst into giggles.

"Thank you so much Juls. I don't know what I would do without you." Lauren gave Julia a big hug.

"Anything for you, Lo," Julia smiled. "Come on, get out of bed. It's time for a fresh start."

* * *

As the summer progressed, Lauren slowly recovered. She still had little eccentricities (never being out after night fell, avoiding bars altogether) but she was moving on. Every day, she became a little stronger, transforming back into herself. She hadn't cut since the day she had talked with Darren on the phone.

Julia had been a godsend. She fussed around Lauren, sending her encouraging texts and always making time to talk with her, even though they were both freakishly busy. One morning in late August, two weeks after AVPSY, Julia walked into Lauren's room where she was scribbling recipe ideas into a notebook. "Lo, I know you're busy so I'll be quick," Julia began.

Lauren set down her pen and turned her face towards Julia, listening. "Go on," she prodded.

"Darren just called me," Julia began. "He said that it was amazing seeing all of you at the show and that he wants to spend more time with the Team when we're not all cramming for a show like crazy. So he's flying out on the second weekend of September, two weeks from now. And he needs a place to stay, so I offered the apartment, since I'll be in New York that weekend. Again." She sighed dejectedly, upset that she had been in New York during AVPSY as well.

"Aw, Juls. It sucks that you're not gonna get to see him again."

"Such is the life I live, I suppose," Julia made a face. "She of such directing abilities, it requires monthly trips to the great city of New York that drain her bank account and give her migraines."

Lauren giggled, but tried to reassure her friend. "Don't worry. We'll get Darren here again, one way or another."

"I know, I know," Julia smiled. "We're just too irresistible. So, it's all right that he stays here, then?"

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Lauren's heart fluttered. She blushed slightly at the thought of sharing an apartment with Darren.

"Awesome!" Julia grinned. She turned and skipped out of the room, singing under her breath, _"Darren and Lo, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"_

"Go back to first grade," Lauren called, throwing a pillow at Julia's retreating figure. "Ugh!" She giggled as she climbed out of her bed.

* * *

"Lo, are you SURE it's all right if I leave?" Julia stood in the doorway of the tiny bathroom as Lauren knelt in front of the toilet, stomach swirling.

"Juls." Lauren coughed. "I'm fine."

Julia laughed dryly. "Really? Because last time I checked, having your lunch make a reappearance does not constitute as fine."

"I'm sure it's just one of those 24 hour things," Lauren argued. "I'll be fine by tomorrow." She coughed again. "I'm 26, Julia. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, Lo," Julia said in exasperation. "I don't want you to be here, sick and all alone."

"I won't be all alone!" Lauren protested. "Darren's getting in tonight. Besides, staying home is definitely not an option for you. This is a huge opportunity, and I'm not going to hold you back." She struggled to her feet, choking back the bile that rose in her throat. "I'll be fine," she repeated. "Go already, dammit! You have a plane to catch!"

Julia sighed. But what else could she do? "Fine. I'll be back Monday. Text Jaime or Denise if you need anything, all right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Bye! Have fun! Good luck! No partying!" Lauren giggled in spite of herself.

Julia let out another huge sigh before wheeling her small suitcase out the door.

After she left, Lauren sat on the floor of the bathroom for a long time, trying to muster the strength to stand up. Finally, she managed to make her way to the kitchen and pour herself a glass of water. Suddenly a wave of dizziness swept over her. She clutched the handle of the refrigerator to steady herself. _Deep breathing,_ she reminded herself. _You can do this._ She slowly made her way to the couch and sat down gingerly. Her phone beeped.

**LoLo, just making sure you're okay before I get on the plane. Let me know. Hugs! -Juls**

_I'm great,_ Lauren lied. _Have a safe flight. Let me know when you land!_

She set her phone aside and took a small sip of water, but it only made her feel worse. Her phone beeped again, too soon for it to be Julia. Hoping it was Darren, Lauren quickly opened the message. As she read the "from" line, her face fell. Mark.

Her fingers hovered over the message as an internal debate raged. Should she open it? Delete it? Finally curiosity won out, and she tapped it.

**Killed yourself yet? I hope so.**

_Leave me alone,_ Lauren replied.

**Hahaha, dumb bitch. Can't take it, huh? Maybe you should just slit your wrists.**

Lauren set down her phone. _Don't listen to him,_ she told herself. _He's a dick._ But the messages kept coming with alarming intensity.

**Kill yourself.**

**You're worthless.**

**We would all be a little happier if you were dead.**

**Whore.**

Lauren knew it was a horrible, but she couldn't stop opening the messages. Each one cut a little deeper than the last, as Mark tried his hardest to ruin her self-esteem.

**Diediediediediediedie**

**No one loves you**

On and on the messages went. Lauren's eyes were wet with tears. She began to feel a familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could almost hear Julia's voice in her head. _"Don't you dare cut, Lauren Lopez,"_ head Julia was saying. _"Look at how far you've come! Don't listen to some idiot."_

But inner Lauren was trying to convince her otherwise. _"Maybe he's right, you know. You could just end it all."_

_"Don't do it,"_ head Julia warned. _"Don't do it!"_

_"Do it do it do it do it,"_ inner Lauren chanted.

Lauren felt herself stand up and walk to the bathroom. She felt herself reach under the sink for her razor. Her phone beeped once more.

_**BURN IN HELL.**_

Lauren began to cut. She began at her ankles, working methodically, making a cut about every inch. When she was finished with her legs, she moved on to her arms. Then her stomach, across her face, and even her back. Each cut stung. When she was finished, she reached into the medicine cabinet for Julia's big bottle of sleeping pills. She poured out a handful. One by one she swallowed them until she began to feel woozy. Working quickly, as she knew she didn't have much time, she dipped a finger into the blood on her thigh. She reached across the sink to the mirror. In capital letters she wrote, _I AM ABOUT TO DIE._

She stared into the mirror, looking at her own reflection. So this is the end, she told herself. And then she blacked out, the back of her head slamming against the edge of the bathtub as she fell.

* * *

Darren hummed as he entered the elevator. He was incredibly excited to see all of his friends, but more specifically, Lauren. He had seen her a month ago, true. But this time they wouldn't be under tons of stress. Just them, cuddling together on the couch. What could be better?

Darren stepped off the elevator. He all but ran towards apartment 6F. He knocked enthusiastically on the door, but no one answered. "Lo?" He called. "Open up! It's Darren!" But still, no one answered the door. He tried the door handle, surprised when it opened easily. "Lo? You here?" Still no answer. He began checking all the rooms, opening the doors of Lauren's room and Julia's room. As he turned away from Julia's room, a flash of red caught his eye from the bathroom. As he opened the door wider, his blood ran cold.

"Lauren. Oh my God." He knelt beside her. Her skin was very, very pale. A few sleeping pills were scattered around her body, along with the razor. Darren didn't even pause to think. He scooped Lauren up and dashed back out the door. He didn't have time for the elevator, instead dashing down the stairs faster than he knew he could. He dashed out to his rental car which was thankfully parked directly outside the building. Laying Lauren across the back seat, he hurriedly put the car in gear and pulled into the street. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

_OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod._

He slammed his foot onto the brake as they approached Emergency at Rush Hospital. He jumped from the car and ran around it to get to Lauren's door. As he ran into the hospital, he was met with two doctors. No questions were asked. They strapped Lauren onto a gurney and immediately ran off with her.

A man handed Darren a clipboard, and he was left to fill out what he knew. A tear dripped onto the sheet of paper. He hadn't realized he was crying until then. He returned the clipboard to the front desk and rested his head in his hands. His shoulders shook with sobs. _Dear God, if you make Lauren all right, I'll never ask for anything ever again. Just let her live._

After thirty minutes that felt like forever, Darren felt a tap on his shoulder. A doctor stood over behind him. "Sir? If you could come with me, we have a few questions."

Darren stood quickly, wiping his eyes. He followed the doctor to a small room with two chairs. "Is Lauren going to be all right?" he asked abruptly.  
"We think that Ms. Lopez will make a full recovery," the doctor said.

Darren let out a sigh of relief.

"But," the doctor continued, "we've run into some complications."

"What kind of complications?" Darren asked.

"We had to run a few tests to make sure it was safe to use a certain type of medication. One of those tests was a pregnancy test." He paused, giving Darren a chance to process what he had just said.

_No, it can't be,_ Darren began to catch on. _She couldn't be-_

"And as it turns out, well..." The doctor shook his head. "Ms. Lopez is about six weeks pregnant."

* * *

**Please oh please oh PLEASE make my crappy week better by leaving a review! Or favoriting/ following. Whatever floats your boat. Also, let me know if there's anything you want to see in future chapters! Always open to suggestions(:**

**Hope everyone has a fantastic week! xx**


	7. It Fit Perfectly

**It's here! I updated on time! Yayyy!**

**I hope everyone enjoys! xx**

* * *

Darren spent the night in the hospital waiting room. But he slept fitfully. Every few minutes he would jerk awake as nightmares raced around in his head. Finally, the gray light filtering in through the skylights let him know that it was dawn.

Darren walked quietly into Lauren's hospital room. His head was still spinning. _Pregnant? How could she be pregnant?_ They had never had sex.

He sat in an armchair next to her bed. She was hooked up to a ton of IVs and she was still very pale. The cuts she had made stood out on her skin. Across her face, her arms. But she was breathing. "God, Lo," he murmured. "What were you thinking?" He reached for her hand. "I love you so much." He began crying again. "Please, please wake up."

Lauren could feel pressure on her hand. She could hear a man's deep voice next to her. Her brain was still a little fuzzy. What happened? The details came filtering back. Mark. Her razor. The white tile floor splattered with blood. A handful of white pills. _Am I dead?_

She certainly didn't feel dead. Her body ached all over, especially the back of her head. Her eyelids felt heavy, like there were weights on them. She struggled but finally managed to open her eyes to squint against the light. Next to her, the deep voice called for a doctor.

She heard footsteps enter the room, and opened her eyes a little wider to see a man hovering over her. "Ah, good, you're awake!" he said cheerfully. He used a remote control to raise the bed so that she was in a sitting position.

Lauren turned her head to see another man sitting in a chair next to her bed. "Darren?" Her voice was raspy and it hurt to talk. Quietly Darren poured her a glass of water from the pitcher on her bedside table.

"Shh. Don't talk right now. Just drink this." His hands were shaking so badly that he almost spilled the water.

Lauren took small sips of water as the doctor examined the cuts on her face and arms. Finally, he took a step back. "Ms. Lopez, how are you feeling?"

Lauren thought it was slightly funny to ask that after she had tried to commit suicide. "I'm all right, I guess," she said. Then, as an afterthought, "but my head hurts."

The doctor nodded. "Understandable. You've suffered a bad concussion, as well as tremendous blood loss."

Lauren glanced over at Darren. He looked to be on the verge of tears. "Darren?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

Darren stood up suddenly. "No, Lauren, I'm not okay," he snapped, surprising himself. "My girlfriend just tried to commit suicide! Do you think I'm okay?"

Lauren's eyes widened as Darren continued. "Did you ever stop to think about what would happen when someone found you? Because that someone was me, Lauren. I found you on the bathroom floor in a pool of blood. I carried you down six flights of stairs. You were dying right in front of me! So no. I'm not okay."

During his rant, the doctor had crept out the door, wanting to give the couple privacy.

"Oh, so it's all about you now?" Lauren fired back. "Poor Darren, he had to drive someone to the hospital! Let's not forget that I'M THE ONE WHO WAS DYING. So if you could stop making everything about you, that would be fucking wonderful!"

Darren was seriously pissed. "Goddammit Lauren! I didn't do anything wrong! You're the one who went out and cheated on me! I didn't do anything except save your damn life!"

"Hold the fuck up." Lauren's voice was eerily calm. "I didn't cheat on you! I would never do that!"

"Really," Darren drawled sarcastically. "Please, explain to me how you got pregnant then."

"PREGNANT?" Lauren just about spit out her water. "What the hell? I'm not pregnant."

"Don't pretend like you don't know," Darren spat. "The doctor told me last night!"

"DOC!" Lauren yelled as loud as she could. "Darren here seems to be under the impression that I'm pregnant. Care to shed some light on this?"

The doctor came hurrying back into the room, his face pale. He took a gulp of air and stepped out of arm's reach of Lauren. "Um, er well.. Yesterday when you came in we had to do some tests to see if it was safe to use certain medications and one of the tests was a pregnancy test and as it turns out you're pregnant," he said all in one breath.

Lauren felt like someone had emptied the room from air. "Holy. Fucking. Shit."

"I'll leave you two to discuss this," the doctor said hurriedly, leaving the room again.

Lauren's head was spinning. Pregnant? How could I... The thought hit her like a bolt of lightning. Mark. Didn't use protection when he.. _Oh my God. I'm pregnant with Mark's baby._

"I'm.. I'm.. Oh my God." She covered her face with her hands.

Darren's face showed nothing but hurt. "Lo, how could you do this?"

"Darren, you don't understand," Lauren said desperately.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand," Darren scoffed. "You fooled around with a guy and got pregnant. I'm not a little kid, Lauren. I understand how these things work."

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Lauren screamed.

"I'm sorry, Lo. I-I just.. I just need to go." He began walking towards the door, blinking back tears.

"Darren." All of Lauren's emotion was in that one word. All of her sadness, worry, fear, everything. Darren could sense it. He paused briefly. Sensing that he was listening, Lauren took a deep breath and let the truth spill out.

"Darren, he raped me."

Darren's body went rigid as he tried to comprehend what she had just said. He slowly turned around. "Who?" he whispered.

Tears streamed down Lauren's face, as the moment she wished she could change more than anything else replayed through her head. "Mark."

Darren felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He let out a strangled gasp.

Lauren sniffled. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just.."

Darren walked back over to the bed and knelt. "You don't have to explain anything, Lo."

"No, Darren. I want to put everything out on table. You deserve to know this stuff." And then she told him the entire story, about the night of her date with Mark, and the horrible weeks that followed. She told him about how Julia had saved her and how Mark had made her want to die. "So I'm sorry, Darren. I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to talk to me again," she concluded.

"Lo, I want you to listen to me. I don't give a shit what happened, because none of this was your fault. I love you more than anything in the world." And with that, he leaned over to kiss her.

Lauren smiled weakly. "But Darren.. The big problem right now is that I'm pregnant."

"Lo, I know that whatever you decide to do will be the right thing."

"Abortion isn't an option," Lauren said. "But I'm only 26. What am I supposed to do? I have my whole career ahead of me."

"There's always adoption," Darren pointed out.

Lauren closed her eyes and leaned back. She thought about just having the baby and giving it to a family who wanted it. But then she thought about Darren, helping her raise the baby like it was his own child. She thought about watching her baby grow up. She smiled as she opened her eyes. "I'm keeping it."

"You're gonna be a mom," Darren grinned.

"Oh my God," Lauren giggled. "I'm going to to be a mom."

"And whatever you need," Darren promised, "I'll be there for you."

* * *

Lauren was released from the hospital on Monday night. Darren had in and out, bouncing between the hospital and the apartment, handling things with the insurance and making sure everyone on the Team knew.

When Lauren was escorted from her room to the front desk, she and Julia saw each other at the same time. "Julia!" she cried at the same time Julia called, "Lo!"

The two girls met in the middle of the room, hugging. Julia's eyes were damp. "Lo, oh my God," Julia said breathlessly. "When I got the call from Darren..."

"I'm so sorry!" Lauren cried. "I'm so, so sorry!"

"Don't be sorry," Julia admonished. "You're fine now. And I heard," she grinned slyly, "that Lauren Junior is on the way!"

Lauren smiled. "Yeah.. but I don't know how I should feel about it. Like, I didn't want this to happen to me. But I've had a lot of time to think, and, well, I could dwell on the fact that my child is going to be Mark's. Or I could accept that, move on, and raise the baby to be a better person than it's father."

Julia hugged her again. "I'm so proud of you, Lo." She linked their arms together. "Let's go."

It was a short drive back to the apartment. When they got there, Julia stopped the car. "Go on up."

"You're not coming with?" Lauren wrinkled her brow in confusion.

"I have to do some stuff. I'll be back later." And with a smile and a wink, she sped off.

Lauren slowly climbed the stairs, wondering what Julia could be up to. She reached into her pocket for the key before remembering that it hadn't been with her when Darren took her to the hospital. As she wondered what to do, the apartment door swung open.

"Darren! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Lauren pressed a hand to her chest, where she could feel her heart pounding. "Jesus!"  
Darren laughed. "Come on in," he smiled.

"Oh, classy. Inviting me into my own place," Lauren said sarcastically. But she followed him inside anyway.

What she saw took her breath away. All the furniture had been moved out of the living room. In its place was a small, round table set for two. There was a bouquet of roses in a glass vace and candles set around the perimeter of the room gave it a soft glow. "Darren, you didn't have to do this!"

"I wanted to," Darren smiled at her.

Lauren looked down at her clothes, sweatpants with holes in the knees and an old t-shirt. "Ugh, I'm a mess! Give me five minutes to go change." She made for the bedroom, but Darren stopped her.

"Lo, you don't need to change. You're gorgeous no matter what." He laced their fingers together and led her to the table, pulling out her chair for her. "Sit," he instructed. They began eating.

"I can't believe you cooked! And it tastes good!" Lauren said, shocked.

"I guess love does crazy things for my cooking skills," Darren gave her a cute wink. When they finished, he cleared the table and brought in his guitar.

"So, Lo," he began, "I know it might sound cheesy, but I've been dying to sing to you ever since San Francisco. And when I sat down to pick a song, this was the only one I wanted to play."

"I can't wait," Lauren smiled encouragingly.

_She has no idea what's coming,_ Darren thought giddily. He strummed the first few chords and began singing.

_"It's a beautiful night_  
_We're looking for something dumb to do_  
_Hey baby_  
_I think I wanna marry you_

_Is it the look in your eyes_  
_Or is it this dancing juice?_  
_Who cares, baby_  
_I think I wanna marry you_

_Well, I know this little chapel_  
_On the boulevard we can go_  
_No one will know_  
_Oh, come on girl_

_Who cares if we're trashed_  
_Got a pocket full of cash we can blow_  
_Shots of patron_  
_And it's on, girl_

_Don't say no, no, no, no, no_  
_Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_And we'll go, go, go, go, go_  
_If you're ready, like I'm ready_

_'Cause it's a beautiful night_  
_We're looking for something dumb to do_  
_Hey baby_  
_I think I wanna marry you_

_Is it the look in your eyes_  
_Or is it this dancing juice?_  
_Who cares, baby_  
_I think I wanna marry you_

_I'll go get a ring_  
_Let the choir bells sing like_  
_Ooh, so what ya wanna do?_  
_Let's just run, girl_

_If we wake up and you_  
_Wanna break up, that's cool_  
_No, I won't blame you_  
_It was fun, girl_

_Don't say no, no, no, no, no_  
_Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_And we'll go, go, go, go, go_  
_If you're ready, like I'm ready_

_'Cause it's a beautiful night_  
_We're looking for something dumb to do_  
_Hey baby_  
_I think I wanna marry you_

_Is it the look in your eyes_  
_Or is it this dancing juice?_  
_Who cares, baby_  
_I think I wanna marry you_

_Just say I do_  
_Tell me right now, baby_  
_Tell me right now, baby, baby_

_Just say I do_  
_Tell me right now, baby_  
_Tell me right now, baby, baby, oh_

_It's a beautiful night_  
_We're looking for something dumb to do_  
_Hey baby_  
_I think I wanna marry you_

_Is it the look in your eyes_  
_Or is it this dancing juice_  
_Who cares, baby_  
_I think I wanna marry you."_

He knelt on the ground in front of her. "Lauren," he said, "I love you so, so much. And what happened this weekend, well, it was a wake up call. It reminded me that life is way too short not to have what we want. I know you've been through hell and back, and I just want to make you as happy as you've made me. So, Lauren Elizabeth Lopez, will you let me do that?" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He opened it, revealing a silver band inlaid with three small diamonds. He cleared his throat. "Will you marry me?"

Lauren was crying, but they were tears of joy. She wiped her eyes with both hands. It was the most emotional moment she had ever experienced. Through her tears, she managed to nod. "Yes!"

And with that, Darren slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

* * *

**About time something good happened to Lauren! Hope you all enjoyed! Please review/favorite/follow and let me know if you have any suggestions for the future! (I'll also accept things that you want to see in the prequel that I'm writing soon!)**

**xx Caroline**

**(Disclaimer- I do not own the song "Marry You". All rights go to Bruno Mars.)**


	8. Julianna Madelyn

**As promised, another weekend update! Hope you enjoy, don't forget to favorite/ follow/ review!**

* * *

"Alex Michael."

"Melissa Anne."

"Julianna Grace."

"Daniel Patrick."

It was a Friday night, and Darren and Lauren were playing their new favorite game: Name the Baby. They laid on the couch together in the dark, Lauren sitting between Darren's legs as he leaned back against the cushions. One of Darren's arms was around Lauren's waist, the other rubbing gentle circles on her ever-growing belly.

"I like Daniel Patrick too," Lauren mused.

Darren rested his chin on her shoulder. "Are you excited for tomorrow?" he asked. The next day, they were going in for the 20-week ultrasound, to find out if the baby was a boy or a girl.

"Yeah, I am," Lauren said. "But going in for this just makes it seem more real. I still can't believe I'm pregnant, and that we're going to be parents."

"I'm a little scared," Darren admitted. "One day the baby has to find out that I'm not it's real dad. What if.. what if it doesn't like me anymore?" This was something he had been worrying about for a long time.

"Oh, Darren," Lauren turned so that her cheek was pressed into his chest. "It doesn't matter that you're not the biological father. After all, a father is the one who raises you. He's the one guy that will always be there for you, there to wipe your tears and support you in whatever you do. You'll always be the baby's father to me, Darren. You've already done so much more for me in the past weeks than Mark will ever do. And I know the baby will love you no matter what."

"I love you so much, Lo," Darren whispered.

"I love you too, Darren," Lauren said as she snuggled into him.

"G'night, Lo."

"G'night, Dare."

"Good night, baby." Lauren could hear the smile in Darren's voice as he patted her belly.

"Good night, baby," Lauren agreed.

* * *

The next morning, they walked into Labor and Delivery at Rush Hospital. A smiling nurse greeted them and led them to an examination room. Darren squeezed her hand.

Lauren took a deep breath as the nurse squirted clear gel over her belly and moved the small wand-like device across it. On the monitor next to her bed, she could see the baby.

Darren gasped. When Lauren glanced over at him, his eyes were filled with tears. "Our baby," he whispered.

Lauren realized she was crying. She looked up at the nurse. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

The nurse took a closer look at the screen. She smiled. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes," Darren and Lauren said simultaneously.

"Congratulations," the nurse said. "You two are going to be parents to a beautiful, healthy baby girl."

Lauren covered her face and let out a squeal. Darren's smile got even bigger, if that was possible.

* * *

"'A beautiful, healthy baby girl,'" Darren quoted that night as they cuddled on Lauren's bed.

Lauren bounced with excitement. "Hmm... Angela Brooke."

"Tara Rose."

"Emily Taylor."

"Amanda Madelyn."

"I can't think of any more," Lauren giggled giddily. "My brain's moving in a million different directions!"

Darren played with her hair. "I know how you feel, Lo."

"Twenty more weeks!" Lauren said enthusiastically.

Darren sighed. "I can't believe I won't be here for most of the time."

"Darren, you gotta do what you gotta do. I know you love Glee, and you have a commitment to that. We'll talk all the time, and you can always fly in when you have a break in shooting."

"I know that, but.. I want to be here for the baby. I don't want you to have to explain to her why her dad is never home."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Lauren told him. "For now, you focus on work." She yawned. "I love you."

Darren kissed her. "I love you more."

"I love you most."

"Bullshit."

"Darren! The baby can hear things!"

"Damn!"

"DARREN."

Darren talked slowly. "Okay, Lauren. I think that it's _completely ridiculous_ that you think you love me more than I love you. Because I love you the MOST."

Lauren rested her head on his chest. "NopeILoveYouMoreEndOfStory." And with that she closed her eyes.

* * *

Her good mood only lasted a few more days. "How are you, Lo?" Julia asked her one morning.

"Well I'm fat as hell, my feet are swollen, and I can't keep a solid meal down," Lauren snapped. "So does that answer your question?"

Julia took a step back, but Lauren had already started crying. "I'm sorry, J-Julia," she sobbed. "I'm just really hormonal right now."

"It's all right, sweetie," Julia gave her friend a hug. "I understand."

Lauren wiped her eyes. "Thank you so much, Julia."

"No problem," Julia started to say, but she was interrupted by the doorbell. "I wonder who that could be?"

She hurried over to open the door, not bothering to look through the peephole. A tall, dark-haired man stood in the doorway.

"Oh hell no." Julia drew herself to her full height of five feet and two inches. "Get out RIGHT NOW."

Mark smirked. "Nice to see you too, Julia."

"Mark, I'm not shitting you. I will call the fucking cops and have you arrested right now."

"So, Lo," Mark ignored Julia's threats. "I heard through the grapevine that you're pregnant. Congratulations!" He gave her an evil grin.

Lauren struggled to her feet. "Mark, do you want to get your ass out of my apartment? Or should I help you with that?"

"No need to get all rude," Mark admonished. "I just came here to discuss parental rights."

If looks could kill, Mark would be dead. "Hell the fuck no," Lauren growled. "You fucking raped me. If my daughter ever wants to meet her biological father, it'll be when she's 18. And she'll be talking to you through a set of metal bars, because as soon as she's born, I intend to get DNA testing done and go straight to court to testify against you and get you arrested."

Julia linked her arm with Lauren's. "Damn straight. So GET. THE. HELL. OUT. NOW."

Mark took a few steps back. "OUT." Julia screamed again. He turned and ran.

The second he was gone, Julia spun around and gave Lauren a big hug. "Are you all right? It must be hard to look him in the eyes, knowing what he did to you."

"Surprisingly, I'm fine." Lauren pulled her hair back, then let it fall. "I'm done letting him control my life."

Julia hugged her again. "You're amazing, Lo."

* * *

The weeks sped by. Darren visited every chance he got. Around Lauren's 38th week of pregnancy, he had a break from Glee.

Julia was watching for him and opened the door before he could ring the bell. "Darren Everett Criss, if you wake Lauren up I will literally KILL you. She's had insomnia for the last few weeks and she's a complete wreck."

Darren wheeled his suitcase in and laid it next to the couch. He joined Julia over at the breakfast bar.

"So, other than the insomnia.. How has she been, Julia?" he asked quietly.

"She misses you, Darren," Julia said. "She acts like she can do this on her own, but the truth is, she needs you."

Darren's heart ached. He blinked a couple times, trying to head off the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "God, I feel like such a horrible person," he said finally. "I try to be here as much as I can, but it's never enough."

"Darren, I know she understands," Julia reassured him. "She just missed you..."

Over in her bedroom, Lauren blinked a few times. She could hear muted voices coming through her closed door from the kitchen. _Darren_, she thought. She smiled, but it quickly faded as a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She placed her hands on her belly.

"Julia! Darren!" she called. She heard rushed footsteps and then her door swung open.

"Lo!" Darren said as he opened her door. "I missed you-" He stopped as he saw the look of pain on her face. "Are you all right?"

Lauren nodded. "I'm fine, but.. I think I might be in labor."

The effect was intantaneous. Julia flung open the closet door to retrieve the suitcase they had packed in advance, while Darren ran over to Lauren's bed to pick her up, even though she was 25 pounds heavier than normal.

"Darren," she giggled despite the pain, "I can walk. I'm pregnant, not disabled."

Darren grinned at her. "Too bad."

The three of them waited for the elevator together. Julia talked quietly to Lauren, trying to calm her. Lauren cried out as another contraction hit.

"It's all right, it's all right," Julia said. "Deep breathing, Lo. In through your nose, out through your mouth."

The elevator beeped as the door opened. Darren's arms were starting to ache from holding Lauren for so long. Lauren cried out again. And Darren didn't know what to do but sing.

_"You make me feel_  
_Like I'm livin' a_  
_Teenage dream_  
_The way you turn me on_  
_I can't sleep_  
_Let's run away and_  
_Don't ever look back,_  
_Don't ever look back_

_My heart stops_  
_When you look at me_  
_Just one touch_  
_Now baby I believe_  
_This is real_  
_So take a chance and_  
_Don't ever look back,_  
_Don't ever look back."_

Lauren's eyes were closed. "More, Darren."

Darren took a deep breath and launched into "Perfect" by P!nk as they climbed into the car.

_"Made a wrong turn once or twice_  
_Dug my way out, blood and fire_  
_Bad decisions, that's alright_  
_Welcome to my silly life_

_Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood_  
_Miss 'No way, it's all good'_  
_It didn't slow me down._  
_Mistaken, always second guessing_  
_Underestimated, look I'm still around_

_Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel_  
_Like you're less than fucking perfect_  
_Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel_  
_Like you're nothing, you're fucking perfect to me"_

He purposely sang slowly to get more time out of the song. He hit the last note just as Julia pulled into the parking lot of Rush.

He parked the car at the curb and rushed around the car to get Lauren. They got plenty of weird looks as he carried her into the lobby, leaving Julia to park the car.

The doctors directed them to a room and handed Darren a pair of scrubs to put over his clothes as they hooked Lauren up to various machines. She tried to suppress a groan.

The doctor shook his head. "You're in for a rough night, Ms. Lopez. It could be hours before you actually give birth." He consulted his clipboard. "You say you want a natural birth? No drugs?"

"That's right," Lauren grunted.

"Are you sure?" Darren asked her. "I know you're in a lot of pain, Lo."

"No drugs," Lauren said forcefully. "I've carried this baby for 38 weeks, goddammit. This little girl is my world. And I'm NOT going to risk screwing her up with drugs."

"Very well," the doctor agreed. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes." And with that, he left.

The hours blurred together for Lauren. She drifted in and out of sleep. It was one in the morning by the time the doctor announced that the baby was coming.

Darren stood and grabbed Lauren's hand. "You can do this, Lo. You can do it! I love you so much, I love you so much, I love you so much. Just imagine us and our gorgeous baby girl. Deep breathing, happy thoughts, it's all right, it's all right."

Lauren screamed. "C'mon Lo, so close," Darren yelled. "You can do it."

And with another scream, their baby was born.

* * *

Julia had been nodding off, Jaime on one side of her and Joe on the other, when Darren ran into the waiting room. Julia sat up, immediately alert. "What happened?"

"Lauren wants to see you," Darren told her.

Perplexed, Julia followed Darren back to Lauren's room.

"Oh," Julia covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, Lauren. She's beautiful."

"Isn't she?" Lauren smiled through the exhaustion. "I wanted you to be the first to see her."

"What's her name?" Julia wanted to know.

"Julianna," Lauren rocked the baby back and forth. "Julianna Madelyn Criss."

* * *

**I CAN FEEL THE STORY ENDING AND IT MAKES ME SAD BECAUSE I DON'T WANT IT TO END DAMMIT. Please drop me a review, let me know if there's anything you want me to add before it's complete in a few chapters.**

**Love you all!**

**xx Caroline**

**P.S. All rights to P!nk and Katy Perry for their various songs.**


	9. The Wedding

**First, let me start by saying that I'M SO FREAKING SORRY. It's been a month since I updated and I feel horrible, but I was super busy :(**

**Things that happened over the last month (Starkid related)-**

**-I went to Jaime Lyn Beatty's EP Promo concert (Eeeeep!)**

**-I got to meet her (Again, eeeeeep!)**

**-I went to go see 1night 2last 3ever (Which is their current comedy show) last weekend**

**-I GOT TO MEET LAUREN. AND JOE. AND DENISE. AND JEFF BLIM. AND DANIEL STRAUSS. AND MEREDITH. AND BRIAN HOLDEN. AND NICK LANG.**

**-I saw Breredith being adorable**

**-And Joe told me he liked my earrings, and then I panicked and told him that I liked his face.**

**- And Lauren and Denise told me that they liked my scarf!**

**-And lots of other things that I won't bore you with.**

**Anyway, this is the last chapter! Lots of wedding fluff! Don't forget to review/favorite!**

* * *

Lauren was feeding Julianna a bottle of milk in the kitchen when she heard the sound of a key in the lock. She glanced up and grinned widely as Darren swung the door open.

"Da-da!" Julianna cooed when Darren walked into the kitchen. Darren dropped a light kiss onto Lauren's lips and Julianna's forehead.

"My girls," he said, resting his chin on Lauren's shoulder. "How are you, Lo?"

Lauren suppressed a yawn as she placed Julianna in Darren's arms. "I'm good. Tired, but good." She giggled as he lifted Julianna into the air and made fishy faces at her.

"So.." Darren said after Julianna was back in his arms. "I do believe we have a wedding to plan."

They hadn't talked about the wedding for a long time. They had both been so preoccupied with their various projects that the wedding had been only mentioned a few times. Still, the silver band glittered on Lauren's finger.

"Something small would be nice," Lauren mused. "Just our families, the Team, people from Glee."

Darren nodded his agreement. "And when do you want to have it? Sometime in September, maybe?" He knew September was her favorite month.

"And let's have it outside, definitely," Lauren decided.

"Hmm.." Darren scrolled through his mental calendar. "How does.. September 21st sound?"

Lauren pulled out her iPhone and checked her schedule. "Perfect!"

"God, this is crazy," Darren chuckled. "And we're finally gonna be married."

"It's hard to believe," Lauren admitted.

Darren poked Julianna's tummy gently, making her giggle. "It is. Man, this year has been crazy."

"It has." Lauren nuzzled into his chest.

The door opened again, and Julia walked in. "Darren!" she grinned as she caught sight of her friend. "It's so great to see you!"

"It's great to see you too, Juls!" Darren exclaimed, handing Julianna to Lauren so he could go hug Julia.

"So guess what, Julia?" Lauren set the empty bottle on the counter. "We set a date for the wedding!"

Julia squealed, and it should be noted that Julia Albain did not squeal very often. "You guys! That's awesome! When is it?"

"In the fall," Lauren told her. "September 21st!"

"Ohmygod, that gives you only three months to plan! You have to go get a wedding dress, and find a venue, and caterers, and everything else!" Julia bounced on the balls of her feet.

"Breathe, Julia," Lauren joked, and then her voice took a more serious tone. "Juls, I was wondering.. Would you be my maid of honor? You're my best friend in the whole world. Pleaaaaaaase?"

Julia covered her mouth. "Oh, Lo! I would.. Oh, my god.. Of course!" She blinked away happy tears. "Look at this, my little Lauren.. All grown up."

Lauren laughed. "Well, I'm glad you accepted. Because I desperately need someone to help with the wedding planning."

"Oooh, this is gonna be fun," Julia grinned. She reached over and scooped Julianna into her arms. "What do you think, Julianna? Mommy and Daddy are finally getting married!"

Julianna snuggled into Julia. "Ma-ma! Da-da!"

* * *

"Okay, Miss, what are you looking for?" the older woman in the bridal store asked Lauren.

"Let me guess," Denise cut in, "SPARKLES!"

Lauren nodded and smiled at the lady. "I love my sparkles."

The girls (Jaime, Julia, Denise, Meredith, and Lauren) were led over to a massive rack filled with wedding dresses.

They had decided as a group that Lauren, as well as each bridesmaid, would pick out a dress, and they would decide on the one that looked best on Lauren.

And so began the long process of rejection. "Nope." "Well, mayyyybe.. No." "ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOT." "Ugh. No way."

By that point, they were all exhausted, Lauren even more so than the others. Desperately, Julia reached for the last dress on the rack, the one Denise had chosen. Lauren pulled the dress on, not paying much attention. She opened the door of the changing room and stepped outside.

Julia gasped. "Oh, my God."

"What?" Lauren asked. "Is the back of the dress tucked into my underwear again?"

Jaime shook her head wordlessly, eyes wide.

"Wow.. Lo, that's the one," Meredith told her friend.

For the first time, Lauren looked in the mirror at the dress. It was plain white and strapless. Denise reached for the rack of wedding accessories and selected a sparkly belt. She fastened it and stood back to examine her handiwork.

Julia managed to find her voice. "Lo, you're gorgeous."

"Do you like it?" Denise asked her.

Lauren turned from side to side, examining the full look. "I love it."

* * *

Darren made a face at the tuxedo being brandished in his face. "Julia, that thing is hideous. AND uncomfortable."

"Darren, what do you want me to do? You can't not wear a tux to your own wedding."

He let out a giant sigh, like Julia was asking him to climb Mount Everest, not try on an expensive suit.

"Darren." Julia's voice had taken a no-nonsense tone. "Try the damn thing on already. I don't have all day."

With another sigh, Darren turned and went into the dressing room.

"There," Julia said when he returned. "Was that really so bad?"

Darren made a face. "No, but I don't wanna admit that you're right."

He looked in the mirror, admiring the purple vest and tie with a white shirt and black jacket. "Damn, I look GOOD in purple."

Julia smacked him. "You better hope your bride thinks so."

* * *

It wasn't even 9 a.m yet and Lauren was already in tears. She shuffled through the pile of papers on the counter, trying to find the one with the list of possible venues. _I can't do this,_ she thought miserably. I'm no good at planning things.

Julia entered the kitchen, yawning. "Lo!" she exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

Lauren tried to wipe her tears away. "I-I'm.." she couldn't even make it through the word before she began sobbing.

Julia gave Lauren a hug. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I'm just so stressed!" Lauren burst out. "Julianna's been super fussy lately, and I can't take care of her and plan a wedding and I'm running on about four hours of sleep, and.." She buried her face in Julia's shoulder.

"Let it all out," Julia rubbed her back. "It's okay to cry, Lo."

So for ten minutes they sat there, Lauren crying, Julia soothing her.

"It'll be okay," Julia told her.

* * *

And true to Julia's advice, it was okay. The venue was booked, invitations sent out, the bridesmaid dresses ordered, Lauren's dress altered, Darren's tux purchased, decorations put up, bouquets of flowers made, and wedding cake decorated.

And finally, the big day was there.

Lauren looked in the mirror. Behind her were her beautiful, perfect friends, wearing gorgeous purple dresses. She leaned forward. If she looked carefully, she could still see the faded scars on her face from that horrible night she had tried to kill herself.

Julia caught her looking at the scars. "Look how far you've come, Lo."

"I remember that night," Jaime joined them at the mirror. "When I got that call.. Jesus, I was terrified."

Meredith and Denise nodded their agreement. "I can't imagine what we would've done without you," Meredith said.

"And here you are, about to get married," Denise smiled.

Lauren pulled them all into a group hug. "I love you guys so much. Thank you. For everything."

Julia fixed one of Lauren's curls. "Are you ready? It's time for you to become Lauren Criss."

* * *

They had picked a beautiful venue. The sun glinted off the water of Lake Michigan, and the smell of fall was all around.

It was a perfect day for a wedding. Darren smiled at all the guests as he waited at the front.

Music began to play, and Darren couldn't hold back a grin as he saw Joey and Julia walking down the aisle, arm in arm.

Next was Meredith and Brian, then Joe with Jaime and Dylan with Denise. And finally.. the preacher gestured for everyone to stand, and everyone turned to look for Lauren.

The voice of Etta James filtered through the speakers.  
_"At last_  
_My love has come along_  
_My lonely days are over_  
_And life is like a song_

_Oh yeah yeah, at last_  
_The skies above are blue_  
_My heart was wrapped up in clover_  
_The night I looked at you_

_And I found a dream that I could speak to_  
_A dream that I can call my own_  
_I found a thrill to press my cheek to_  
_A thrill that I have never known_

_Oh yeah yeah, and you smile, you smile_  
_Oh, and then the spell was cast_  
_And here we are in Heaven_  
_For you are mine at last"_

Lauren smiled as she made her way down the aisle, holding her dad's arm. She almost burst out laughing when she realized that Darren was wearing his trademark pink sunglasses.

The ceremony moved quickly. Soon, it was time for the vows. They had opted to write their own vows. Darren went first.

"Lauren," he smiled at her. "This had been such an adventure. When we met in college, I had no way of knowing how wonderful our relationship would be. You always know how to put a smile on my face, anyone's face really. We have a beautiful daughter, and I can't wait for the next part of our journey together."

Lauren blinked away tears. "Darren, you've seen all my ups and downs, and it's not an exaggeration to say that you've saved my life multiple times. I love you with all my heart and I know you feel the same. I can't wait for what comes next."

The preacher cleared his throat. "Through the power vested in me, I now declare you, Lauren Lopez, and you, Darren Criss, husband and wife." He gestured at Darren. "You may now seal your vows with a kiss."

Darren leaned in, in, in.. But then.. "Ma-ma! Da-da!" They looked down to see Julianna toddling toward them on her chubby legs.

Lauren bent down and lifted her daughter into the air. She leaned in to give Darren a long kiss.

"My girls," Darren said when they pulled apart. He kissed Julianna's cheek. "I love you both so much."

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

"Mommy! I want juice!" Julianna giggled.

Lauren looked down at the four year old. "What do you say, babygirl?" she asked.

"Please!" Julianna grinned, showing her pearly white teeth.

Lauren heard the front door open, and Darren called out, "I'm home!"

"In the kitchen!" she called back as she opened the refrigerator, pulling out the bottle of apple juice.

Darren walked in, swooping Julianna up. "How are you, Princess?"

Julianna giggled as she snuggled against Darren's shoulder.

Lauren stood on her tiptoes to get a cup for Julianna, her shirt rising up a little. Darren caught sight of the scars on her expanding stomach- they were expecting another baby in October. The scars were barely visible- maybe one day they would disappear forever.

That night, Darren built a fire. That was one of the benefits of their new house in LA- they had a fireplace. After Julianna had been put to bed, Lauren and Darren sat in front of the fire on couch cushions, contentedly listening to it crackle and pop.

"Hey, Lo?" Darren broke the comfortable silence.

"Yes?" she rested her head in his lap.

"Do you remember that day we went to Golden Gate park? And you told me everything?"

Lauren sat up. "Of course I do, Dare. That was the moment that I knew."

"Knew what?" he asked.

"Knew that I was falling for you."

* * *

**I seriously can't believe it's over. Like, I'm in shock. Writing this has been a crazy journey for me, and it means SO. MUCH. to me that all of you have supported this story over these last few months. Thank you SOOOOO SO SO SO SO SO much. Feel free to check out my other stories/ suggest other ideas. And oh, in case you didn't catch it before.. THANK YOU! Please review/ favorite!**

**Butterbeers on me!**

**xx Caroline**


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